POW's daughter shares her journey of reconciliation

Cyril Gilbert (far left) catching up with friends after WWII

Warning: This article discusses the experiences of a prisoner of war, which some readers may find confronting.

In March this year, Leigh Gilbert made her first visit to Japan – the former empire that made her late father a prisoner of war (POW).  

She’d been offered a place in the 2023 Japan-Australia Grassroots Exchange Programme, along with the daughter of another POW, and RSL Australia President Greg Melick. 

“I know Dad was looking down on me going to that trip,” Leigh says. “I think he had something behind me getting there, because as soon as I heard about it, I just knew that I was going.  

“I had his photo with me everywhere I went. It was the first time I was able to wear his medals over there too, which was pretty special.” 

Reconciliation, understanding and goodwill 

Leigh Gilbert meeting with Japanese citizens

More than 120 POWs and POW descendants have taken part in the programme since it began in 1997. 

Organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, it “aims to deepen the mutual understanding of the peoples of Japan and Australia by inviting descendants of former Australian POWs to Japan, through the RSL network”. 

It’s an opportunity for all participants – POW descendants, RSL representatives and Japanese citizens – to “promote post-war reconciliation, understanding and goodwill between both countries”. 

For Leigh, this “amazing privilege” was a chance to seek closure, apology, and some idea of what Japanese people went through during WWII. 

An emotional journey 

Visiting the Joetsu Peace Memorial Park

Leigh and her companions spent eight days touring Japan, visiting sites including the Hodogaya (Yokohama) Commonwealth War Cemetery, and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Museum and Genbaku Dome – the epicentre of the atomic bombing. 

There were meetings with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Parliamentary Vice-Minister, who acknowledged Japan’s wartime actions. But the biggest highlight for Leigh was meeting Japanese citizens and students. 

“Seeing how interested they were in my father’s story, seeing the photos – I wasn't expecting it. It was actually overwhelming to realise how sorry they were for what had happened,” Leigh says.  

“They didn't know what their soldiers were doing during the war. It's still not taught in schools and that's something they want to do. And I think they need to do that to be able to move on.” 

Visiting Hiroshima was particularly emotional for Leigh. “I have always felt that if it wasn't for Hiroshima, I wouldn't be here,” she says. “I particularly wanted to go there and pay my respects because I knew civilians and children were affected by it. I laid a poppy and had my quiet reflection, saying sorry that they had to lose their lives so that we've got peace in the world.”  

Three and a half years as a prisoner 

Cyril became a POW after the fall of Singapore in 1942

In Leigh’s words, her beloved dad was “a true Aussie character who loved to tell a yarn, have a laugh and a cold beer”. “I'm absolutely privileged to have had him as my father,” she shares. 

Born in Brisbane, Cyril enlisted in the Australian Army in 1940, just after his 20th birthday. He served as a Lance Sergeant in the 8th Division 27th Brigade Australia Army Service Corps. But he was captured after the fall of Singapore in 1942, and marched 316km to help build the infamous Burma-Thailand Railway. 

More than 80,000 Allied POWs and romusha (Asian labourers) died building the railway, succumbing to exhaustion, starvation, tropical disease, and their captors’ brutality. 

Leigh remembers Cyril’s stories from that time well.  

There were dark ones, of course – about seeing those who tried to escape tortured in front of everyone; saying goodnight to the man beside him, then waking to find him dead the next day; and having to carry, then burn, the bodies of cholera victims.  

But there were lighter ones, too – about the time he and seven mates, all starving, celebrated Cyril’s birthday with a tin of herrings, meticulously divided under team supervision. 

“There were nine herrings and eight mates, so the ninth herring had to be evenly cut into eight pieces – with them all standing over the poor one whose task it was to cut it up. I cannot tell you the number of times Dad told that story,” Leigh recalls. 

She says Cyril lost all faith in God, in everything – except for his mates. To him, they were the reason he survived. 

A lifetime advocate  

Following the war, Cyril dedicated his life to helping veterans

Cyril spent most of 1945 in Changi Prison – “a resort compared to the railway”, he’d later say – before finally returning home, “a shell of his complete self”. 

After discharging from the Army, Cyril spent the rest of his life assisting other ex-POWs and veterans – work that earned him numerous recognitions, including the Medal of the Order of Australia. At 91, he was still organising reunions and at 94, he was still the National and Queensland President of the Ex-Prisoner of War Association. 

“Dad was always about his mates, always,” Leigh says. “They were the biggest part of his life apart from his family.”  

Growing awareness 

Leigh and the President of RSL Australia Greg Melick with Japanese schoolchildren

Much WWII history is unknown in Japan, Leigh says. But various Japanese groups and initiatives are determined to change that.  

“The civilians in Naoetsu built this beautiful Peace Memorial Park. The whole town is behind it. Somebody donated their house, which was on the edge of the POW camp there, and they've turned that into a museum. 

“I had my photo taken with an elderly fellow there who was really lovely. He lived around the corner when he was a child but was never, ever told what was going on. He only found out about it a few years ago. And that's when they started this Peace Memorial Park.” 

She’s also encouraged by the awareness that the Grassroots Exchange Programme has sparked.  

“There was media, so there were stories being written. The schoolchildren were doing projects on it and the POW network group is really pushing for, ‘How can we improve it? How can we get this into the schools?’ So that message was getting across to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well.   

“I would like to think that one day it is taught in their schools – this happened; we're not proud of it, but this is why; and especially this is why Hiroshima happened, and why the war ended.”  

For those in Australia, Leigh believes remembrance has a key role to play in reconciliation. 

“I think as long as we don't forget, and we continue things like ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day, people will find out more.  

“Hopefully, one day the world will come to its senses and there won't be any wars.” 

Closure 

Making the journey to Japan on behalf of her dad was an honour for Leigh

While Cyril “loved going back to Thailand”, returning almost yearly to visit his mates who didn’t make it home, he never got to visit Japan. (He applied to join the Grassroots Exchange Programme but was unsuccessful.) However, Leigh was honoured to make the pilgrimage on his behalf. 

“I really wish that Dad had heard that Vice-Minister say sorry, and seen these beautiful Japanese people and how interested and remorseful they were. I think that would've made a huge difference to him in his life,” she says. 

“But I feel I have that closure for Dad and my family. 

“I know he would've been very proud. One of the last things I ever said to him is that I would keep his memory alive. I'll keep doing that ‘til the day I die.” 

About Leigh 

Leigh meeting with a Japanese official

Like her father was, Leigh Gilbert is a passionate advocate for the veteran community and sees many of the ex-POW community as family. She worked for RSL Queensland for 19 years, first as the RSL Girl in a Million Quest SED Consultant and then as State Fundraising Coordinator. 

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